Karen- great idea to have a goal- go girl!I think you have an effective plan in mind to increase your speed. Just a few thoughts/questions....Do you plan to crosstrain? How about body weight/weight training 1-2 days pet week? From what I've read borh can help with speed and prevent injury. Do you stretch before and after?

I didn't exercise yesterday, and so even though I'm getting ready for a long trip and leaving very early tomorrow morning, I was determined to fit some exercise in today. So, I went to the gym this evening, thinking I would get a run in. I figured that since I was kinda short on time, and I also thought this would be a good thing to do anyway, I figured I'd run a shorter duration -- 20-25 minutes -- but at a faster speed. So, I set the treadmill to 6.0 mph. That's the speed I was able to run at several weeks ago when 20 minutes was part of my Couch-to-5K training. But, damn, I just couldn't keep at it tonight. I had to stop every several minutes for a 20-30 second break. And even at that, I backed the speed down to 5.5 mph. I SUCKED! I'm not sure which would have felt worse/better: A) skipping the gym today (which would probably make it 3 days in a row, since I'll be traveling all day tomorrow), but believing I could easily run a shorter duration at a faster speed, or B) going and sucking so badly. Oh well. My legs are aching and I'm just so very tired. I'm sure it was just a bad day. I'll be back at it soon.

To be honest (and to answer your question, Lisa), I'm looking forward to getting back in the gym and doing some weights. It felt really good the other day. I would like to make it part of my routine, 2-3 times/week. We'll see how things go.

hang in there Karen! Some days are just like that, I bet there were still people in the gym that saw you running and thought to themselves "I wish I could run like her" even if you were not happy with the total workout overall as long as you gave it ALL you have on that particular day thats all that really matters, and you got there and did it which is sometimes the hardest part. yeah definitely get some lifting sessions worked into your routine, so much fun!

Yeah for you Karen for making it to the gym! That itself is awesome-don't beat yourself up too much over a workout and feelings that you/it "sucked"..... My motto is "some is better than none!"Feel free to adopt my motto!!! ))

When I have a workout that I feel is sub-optimal, I determine the possible reasons as to why I performed and felt the way I did...... Was it physical factors such as sleep deprivation, hydration status, adequate nutrition, hormones, etc..... Are environmental factors involved? Emotional factors ie STRESS, neg feelings, fear.....After coming up with answers ( NO they are not excuses!), I look at what I can improve upon next time I step up for a workout!

Good for you on wanting to incorporate strength training into your plan! Hope you enjoy your travel time..... Going for business or pleasure or BOTH?

And I hear you that it's frustrating the days when you put in the effort to go and then it feels like it's all wrong. I wholeheartedly agree with poster above that something is better than nothing. I sometimes go out and run just a mile, or lift for 10 minutes, and feel like people at the gym probably think I'm crazy, but to me it's important to just try and keep up the habit.

Heading back home tomorrow, but finally got in some decent exercise today. There's been a little here and there over the past couple weeks of traveling, but not nearly enough. Anyway, here was today's workout:

Yesterday I did 5K on the treadmill, followed by 20 minutes on the stationary bike. My run wasn't awesome, but considering that I hadn't really run much the past couple weeks, I felt pretty good about it. I ran most of it, with a couple short breaks (I stopped the clock for those) and several minutes of walking. Overall, it was 38:27. Again, not amazing, but I felt good about it nonetheless. I'm also learning that I like running outside more than I thought. Running on the treadmill is starting to bore me, but the main thing is that I overheat. Running outside helps keep me cooler and able to sustain longer, I think. A couple of times I've ran on treadmills that had a built-in fan or had a fan closeby, and that helped a lot. But at my gym, there are no fans.

Yesterday's food was oatmeal with chia and blueberries, a couple of Odwalla bars, bean and spinach burritos, and popcorn with peach habanero hot sauce. (Mmmmm!) Should've had more fruits/veggies. Was dealing with a headache the past couple of days, though, so I was probably choosing more comfort foods.

My internet was down yesterday, so I didn't get to post. But, anyhow, yesterday I ran 5K outside from home and back. It's all dirt road with some long stretches of incline (and decline, too, of course!). My time was a shade under 39:00, which seems depressingly slow. Especially since I never stopped running at all and felt like I was consistently going faster than when I did this same run once before (just before the St. Patty's Day race). Oh well, it still felt great to complete, and I was happy to do it. I'll keep working to improve.

Yesterday was the first time I listened only to relaxing, soft music during the entire run. Usually, I listen to "harder" music to keep me energized. But, yesterday I found the music helped keep me relaxed, and I could hear my breathing and footsteps on the ground. Interesting difference.

awesome job on the 5k run. dont worry about the time at all, its awesome that you felt good and relaxed. I have had many runs where I thought I was really flying and then my time was slower but I felt great. I choose to remember the "felt great" part....plus if you felt good then there is more of a chance you will do it again. and more than likely improve. the tofu scramble with tempeh sounds sooo good. I wish we had more veg friendly restaurants in our area but everything i consider good is at least 30 min away.have a good week!